


Drive All Night

by vampiremama



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 09:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11918163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampiremama/pseuds/vampiremama
Summary: Ally is shaken by the sudden loss of her mother, but she finds herself determined to still take the trip she'd been planning for months. What she didn't plan on is having her friend Sebastian show up for the ride. Will learning some harsh truths about her friend lead her to love or heartbreak?Story deals with abuse, please read with caution.Written for round 2 of the story exchange.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for:Lisa Bilbrey  
> Written By: Cyd Kelly  
> Summary/Prompt used: Woman Crosses the Country after sudden death of her mother.
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful Beta Acrosstheskynstars, I treasure your help always.  
> Readers: Thank you for taking your time to check out my story, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

It was a normal, average day for most of the world. The sky was bright with a few clouds scattered throughout the sky. The temperature was mild, not too warm and not too cool. There was nothing out of the ordinary for most people. Today, Ally wasn’t most people.   
She watched as they lowered the coffin into the ground. There was no headstone marking who they were placing in the grave. It had happened too quickly to have had one made in time for the funeral. In two weeks her mother’s headstone would arrive, and Ally didn’t think she could bear to see it.   
There had been a funeral, a woman stood at the front and talked about faith and her mom, but she didn’t remember any of it. The day had been a blur; in fact the week had been a wind tunnel, nothing getting in but despair and sadness.   
Ally walked up to the grave and took a handful of dirt, she could feel her sister beside her, and yet she felt utterly alone. The dirt fell, not in slow motion like it always did in the movies, but with a final, sounding thud. She would never see her mother again. Tears pricked her eyes but they did not fall.   
She walked away, from the grave, from her fellow mourners and to her car, she sat in passenger seat as her friend got into the car and wordlessly drove her home. 

One Week Later

Ally spit into the sink, barely listening to her friend talking.   
“Are you sure you want to go still?” Paige asked, standing behind her in the mirror putting on lip gloss.   
“You were all for this a month ago,” Ally countered. She put her toothbrush in its travel case and stuffed it into her cosmetics bag.   
“That was before everything with your mom.”  
Ally sighed, she could hear the concern in her friend’s voice, but it was also exactly why she wanted to get away. Her mom had been her best friend, and the loss had been so sudden that she wasn’t even sure she’d had a chance to really grieve.   
“It’s just three months. I’m not running away. I need some time. Time where everyone who sees me doesn’t look at me like you are now.”  
The comment snapped Paige out of her lingering pity stare only to replace it with what always came next, an uncomfortable pinched look like she was wearing shoes too tight, only Ally felt like the shoes. She knew her friend needed this time away from her as well. It was a lot of work to console a grieving friend.   
“I get it. I do,” Paige said as she wrapped Ally up in a tight embrace. “Promise you’ll call. For anything, for nothing, but especially if you get laid.”   
Ally laughed. “Especially then.” She put a baseball cap on, pulling her ponytail through the hole in the back. “I think I’m ready.” She tossed a set of keys to Paige. “The place is all yours. Remember our deal.”  
“Yes, yes, clean the sheets…”  
“And often.”   
Paige laughed and smacked Ally in the arm. “Now I want you to leave.”  
The girls hugged again and whispered goodbye to one another before Ally grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. With her cosmetics bag in her other hand, she walked out her apartment door to begin her journey. She appreciated that Paige hadn’t offered to walk her out. Ally assumed it was because she was already reorganizing her Blu-rays and unpacking her bag. Paige was happy to have three months out of her parents’ basement.   
The apartment was only on the second floor but Ally chose to wait for the elevator. Her bags weren’t all that heavy but she felt she needed a breath. As the door to the elevator opened, she stepped in and put her bags down on the floor. Her composure broke the moment the doors closed and she reached out and hit the emergency stop button.  
The tears poured from her eyes, it had been a week and two days since she’d seen her mom. As Ally sunk to the floor, she sobbed, trying to remember the last thing she’d said to her. Neither of them knew that it was to be their last conversation. No previous history, no health scares, and all it took was one heart attack and Ally was to be without the only parent she’d ever known.   
She was only twenty-two, which meant she’d spent the last three years of her mom’s life trying to get away, stretching her wings. Now it seemed like time wasted. Even though they’d been in contact weekly, it didn’t feel like enough. There were so many things Ally didn’t share with her mom, feeling the need to have that independence. The heavy weight on her heart was almost too much to bear.   
Ally sat in the elevator for fifteen minutes, sometimes finding a few seconds of refuge before the sobs would begin again. Then almost as quickly as they started, they stopped and Ally found her composure. She wiped her nose and dabbed her eyes.   
“Alright, let’s do this,” she whispered to herself and hit the button to start the elevator again.   
Ally loaded her bags into the trunk of her car and was getting into the driver’s seat when she heard her name being called. Leaning out of the car, she saw a tall boy running toward her. His hair was shaggy with a bit of curl, a shade of light brown. He was lanky but he wasn’t uncoordinated, as some lanky guys tend to be.   
“Sebastian?” She got back out of the car, when she recognized her friend. And when she did she could see he had a duffle bag slung over his back.   
It was clear when he reached the car that he hadn’t quite thought as far as that.   
“What are you doing?” she asked, smiling.   
Sebastian and she had been friends for the last three years. They’d met in college and had hung with the same group of friends. Most of those people had dissipated from their lives, but the two of them remained good friends.   
“Shit, have you been crying?” he asked, looking even more uncomfortable.   
“No,” she lied, “Paige poked my in the eye trying to get me out the door.”  
Sebastian chuckled in a way that led her to believe he didn’t quite believe her but he wasn’t going to push the point. Ally glanced at his bag again.   
“Look I know you are going on this trip alone, but I was hoping you’d give me a lift out of town.”  
“Where are you going?”  
“Like you, wherever the wind takes me.” His smile was too strained for Ally to believe him, but she gave him the same consideration he’d bestowed on her.   
“Sure,” she replied. “I think I might need the moral support just to get moving.”  
Sebastian looked to visibly relax. He didn’t ask her where they were heading, he just dumped his bag in the back seat and hopped into the passenger seat.   
When they were on their way on the highway, Sebastian spoke, “I appreciate the lift. I don’t want to be any trouble. Get anywhere past an hour away and you can drop me off in any city. I can figure it out from there.”  
Ally was ready to agree but when she glanced over at her friend, she saw something that made her pause. “How about I take you as far as I’m going today? There isn’t anything exciting an hour away from here.”  
Sebastian looked over at her and his small, grateful smile told her she made the right choice. The car ride went back to being silent. Ally put on the radio and the two of them spent the next few hours in a comfortable silence.   
After grabbing a couple of sandwiches at a small deli for lunch, they were back on the road again. Ally got lost watching the scenery go by. She found her thoughts drifting to her mom and memories that she hadn’t thought of in years.   
Jennifer, her older sister, had been a typical sibling. She would tease Ally relentlessly throughout their childhood. Being four years her senior, she was also the great ruiner of the magic of childhood. The Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, and Tinkerbell were all victims of Jennifer’s wrath. Each time Ally was told of the non-existence of something new, she would run crying to her mom’s room where her mom would hold her and gently pet her hair and tell her that even though these things were not real, she could still enjoy the feeling behind them. But beyond the comforter was also the conspirator, and so when her mom had found out that Jennifer no longer believed in Santa, it was she who came to Ally first.   
“Santa is not one man, Santa is a group of people. And those people work hard every year to make sure the magic of Christmas spreads.”  
“So he’s not a fat man in a red suit?” Ally had asked.   
“Not always. Sometimes he is a mom filling a stocking or a child giving a stranger a gift.”  
“Can I be Santa?” She’d asked, her eyes alight with wonder.   
“Of course you can. Anyone that wants to spread the love and the joy of Christmas can be Santa.”  
Ally had left her mom’s room with a giant smile.   
It was only three days later when Jennifer had confronted Ally in the playroom. “I heard Bobby Chang at school say that Santa isn’t real.”  
“Yes, he is,” Ally had replied.   
“No, he saw his dad fill his stocking last year. Santa’s not real.”  
Ally had stood up and she looked her sister right in the eyes. “He is, too! I’m Santa!” And with that, she’d wound up and socked her sister right in the nose.   
She’d gotten two weeks of grounding, but it had been so worth it.   
Ally sighed at the memory and glanced over at Sebastian who was sound asleep, she hadn’t noticed how tense his eyes had been until she saw him relaxed and slumbering. She turned on the air conditioning, figuring he must be warm in his long-sleeved shirt. The sun was beating through the window and she was warm in her tank top.   
Reaching to her dashboard, she changed over from the radio to CD and she got lost again as headed down the highway.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ally sensed Sebastian wake, so she didn’t need to glance over to see him open his eyes when she asked, “Pick a number between one and five.”  
“What?” he replied groggily, shifting in his seat and bringing his chair back up from a reclining position.   
“One to five.”  
“Three.” He looked over at her and she glanced and smiled.   
“Three it is.”  
“What is?”  
“The third exit from now, that’s the one we’re taking.” Her grin was so large that it spread over to her passenger.   
“You really have no idea where you’re going, do you?”  
“Nope,” she replied, still smiling brightly as she counted off the first exit.   
The third exit led them south, onto another highway. “South is good, South is warm,” Ally said. “Okay, one more. Left or right?”  
“Left.”  
“And now a number between sixty and ninety.”  
“Sixty-one. You’re crazy, you know that right?”  
“Yup. Okay in sixty one minutes, we will take the next left turn.”   
“Where are we now anyway?” Sebastian asked, watching for road signs to give him a hint.   
“We just crossed into Kansas when you were sleeping. We can find a place to call it a day after our next exit.”   
It turned out the next exit guided them to a small town. It was big enough to have a few motels and a Walmart. Ally pulled over in the parking lot of the Walmart to do a quick search on her phone for the best, which meant cheapest, place to stay the night.   
“This place is sixty-nine a night and it has mostly good reviews,” Ally said, showing Sebastian the phone. “We could share a room if you want?”  
Sebastian nodded, pulling at the edges of one of his sleeves. “Yeah, if it’s not much trouble. I can get out of your hair in the morning.”  
“You weren’t in my hair,” Ally replied, shifting in her seat to look at him. “Really, I don’t know if I would have gotten anywhere today. It was a rough start, but you really helped me.”  
Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, the front of it falling right back into his eyes; he kept his eyes on her phone and replied, “We just need to head a block back that way and then take the first left.”  
Ally nodded, put the car in drive and spun around, heading to the motel.   
The hotel room was modest but clean. The TV was old but neither was in the mood to watch anything. Ally excused herself for a shower. The day had been taxing but therapeutic. She appreciated Sebastian there even if they didn’t talk much. She hadn’t felt so alone driving away from home with her friend beside her. She emerged from the bathroom in only a towel, not really thinking much of it until she saw Sebastian’s face. He ducked his head and started rifling through his suitcase.  
Ally felt her cheeks burn, she’d not really thought about Sebastian being a guy. She knew he was attractive but she never got the vibe from him ever that he saw their friendship as anything but platonic, and that was the way she’d always felt.   
“Shower’s free if you want it.”  
“Thanks,” he murmured and grabbed his bag, heading to the bathroom.   
When the shower started up, Ally went to her suitcase and looked through it. She hadn’t really packed to be around a roommate; it’s not that she packed lingerie but all she had to sleep in was a pair of boy shorts and a tank top. She pulled them on and then crawled into the bed, tucking herself under the covers.   
As soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyesight became blurry and she succumbed to a deep sleep. When she woke it was the kind of awakening that makes you feel drunk. The world spun a little and as the room came into focus, Ally wasn’t sure where she was. Slowly the past week played through her mind like a home movie she wished she could turn off. The huge hole in her heart seemed to throb as she thought about her mother. Trying to turn off the pain, she angled her head towards the other bed. Sebastian was awake, on his side and looking at her. The blanket was wrapped low around his waist, but his upper half was covered by another long-sleeved shirt. The black material clung to his chest and Ally mused that perhaps he wasn’t quite as lanky as she’d always thought he was.   
“Morning,” she said, yawning.   
“Morning,” he replied. “Are you okay?”  
Ally suddenly felt a bit more alert, wondering what she’d done.   
“You just looked really sad there for a moment,” he explained.   
Ally let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just miss my mom.”  
Sebastian nodded. “You were really lucky to have such a great mom. I’m sorry she’s gone.”  
It was such a simple thing to say, it offered no solutions or platitudes, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. “Thank you.”  
“I checked my phone this morning, there is a bus stop pretty much on the way out of town. You could drop me there, whenever you’re ready to leave.”  
“Uh, Sebastian?” Ally looked at him. “I could take you another day if you want. I mean, unless you have somewhere you wanted to go from here…”  
“No,” he replied quickly and then he smiled. “It’s better travelling with you than alone. As long as you feel the same way, I know you’ve been looking forward to this trip on your own.”  
“I feel the same way,” she assured him.   
Sebastian smiled and Ally noticed that he had a dimple on his left cheek. She wondered why she’d never noticed it before. “Did you want to use the washroom first?”  
Ally remembered her bare legs and she shook her head. “No, you go ahead.”  
Sebastian pushed back the covers to reveal his legs covered in sweatpants. Ally couldn’t believe he could sleep like that and not be too hot, but she did run warm usually so maybe she was the oddity.   
When they were in the car again, eating their drive-thru breakfast sandwiches, Ally found herself feeling curious about her friend. They had spent a lot of time together in groups but she couldn’t recall too much about him personally. The more she searched her memory, the more she realized he was more of a listener than a talker.   
“Are you going to tell me why you are running away?” Ally asked.   
“I’m not running away,” he replied defensively, and Ally knew she should have been more tactful about it.   
“I’m running away. Not forever, but for the summer. Running away doesn’t have to be a bad thing, just as long as you know you can’t do it forever.” It was something she’d come to the conclusion of and saying it out loud helped cement it for herself as well.   
Sebastian sighed. “My step-dad is a prick. I just didn’t want to hang around all summer listening to him tell me what a screw up I am. It’s not a big deal.”  
“You’re going into your fourth year of engineering. How could he possibly think you are a screw up?”   
“He’s just a dick. I’m used to it. I don’t think I’m a screw up, but that doesn’t mean I want to sit there and listen to it for three months straight. Even if I got a job in town, he’s out of work so I would undoubtedly see him daily.”  
“No offense, but he sounds like a loser.”  
“None taken. And he is.”  
Ally felt the finality of the conversation so she steered it toward other things. They chatted about university and what they wanted to do next year after graduation. Ally wanted to do some freelance graphic design while Sebastian wanted to get into aerospace engineering. His desire was to design airplanes.   
The conversation faded after a while and the two of them became lost in their own thoughts. After a few random turn-offs and a pit stop for gas and food, Ally decided that she was done driving for the day.   
“There is a town about 3 miles up, we can hit it up and see if they have a decent place to crash.”  
“Okay,” Sebastian said, rolling his neck. “Maybe we could find a place with a gym. I could use some movement.”  
Ally navigated easily through the small town ahead, finding a Motel 8 on the main road through town. “This place has a pool,” she said, reading the sign. “That should be good to get your energy out.”   
She smiled at him but noticed a pinched look on his face. “I didn’t bring trunks.”  
“You can use your boxers,” she teased.   
He shifted in his seat as they parked in the lot. Ally felt her joke land flat but wasn’t sure how to back it up, and she found herself wanting to apologize, but not sure why. The check in was quick, and soon they were dropping their stuff in the room.   
“I think I might just go hit the pool.” Ally rummaged through her luggage looking for her suit.   
“Okay, I’m just going to head out for a run. I’ll see you back here later?”  
Ally nodded and went into the washroom to change. There was something different about the way Sebastian was acting. Maybe after the other night, he didn’t want to see her in her swimsuit. Was he attracted to her? Ally shook her head. There was no reason for her to believe that, besides, as much as she’d joked with Paige, she wasn’t on the trip to get some. She was supposed to be taking time to herself. Maybe that was why Sebastian was taking off, to give her some of that time. She hoped she hadn’t made him feel as if he was cramping her style. The truth was, she had really enjoyed the last couple days in the car talking to him. And if she was being honest with herself, the reason she kept questioning his attraction to her was because she felt herself checking him out.   
Ally didn’t feel like she had a type, she’d dated all sorts of men, well…mostly boys. She found herself drawn to kindness over pretty much anything else. A thoughtful man was everything to her. Unfortunately, that was not an easy trait to pick out in a man; they were all thoughtful when they were trying to get into her pants. She knew Sebastian was kind, but she’d always had a sort of hands-off vibe about him, so she’d filed him away as a friend. She didn’t appreciate when guys didn’t get the hint, so she never wanted to be a woman that pushed herself on a man either.   
By the time Ally had her bikini on Sebastian had already left the room. She slid her feet into her flip-flops and with a towel wrapped around her, she headed down to the pool. The water was cool, but the sun was still high. It was only midday and she wondered how Sebastian could stand to run in the heat. It was weird that she’d spent almost two full days with him and the moment he left her side, she felt as if she couldn’t stop thinking about him. But that was probably the natural thing to do, she had been trying to think of anything but her mom for the last few days, so her brain had just latched onto a new target.   
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear anyone approach the pool until the splash from them entering sprinkled over her head.   
“Hey sorry about that,” a voice called and Ally lifted her head up from her back float.   
“No problem,” she said back to the man who’d splashed her only to see that there were three of them.   
Ally swam her way back towards the side of the pool, giving them a bit more room.   
“Where you from?” one of them asked.   
Ally looked up and pointed North. “That way.”  
One of the guys laughed. “Hey, us too. Where you headed?”  
They didn’t give off a frat boy vibe and she didn’t feel unsafe but Ally was still cautious about being nearly naked in the pool with three strange men. Still she never showed it, keeping a calm exterior. “Not sure yet.”  
They swam closer to her and she placed her feet solidly on the bottom of the pool.   
“Cool. We are heading to Earl’s tonight, it’s just down the block. Looks like a dump but it’s the best place around here to grab drinks. You wanna come?”   
“Thanks but I think I’m going to call it an early night tonight,” Ally replied.   
“Aw come on, it’ll be fun. YOLO, right?”  
“Let me think about it, what time are you going?” Ally said, having no intention on joining them, but just wanting an out so she could get out and head back to her room.   
“Nine,” replied the one who hadn’t said anything yet. He was by far the most attractive of the three but Ally wasn’t interested in finding out more about any of them.   
“Sure. I’ve got to run now, but maybe I’ll see you there later.”  
“What’s your name?” the first one asked.   
“Caroline,” she replied pulling herself out of the pool.   
“See you later, sweet Caroline,” one of the boys called out melodramatically from the pool, causing Ally to chuckle uncomfortably.   
One of them whistled as she grabbed her towel and she could hear them talking about her as she left the pool deck.   
Ally found herself checking over her shoulder as she followed the hallway back to her room, making sure none of them followed her. She slid her key card in the slot and then opened the door to find Sebastian pulling on his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat, not because of how toned he was, but littered over his chest and arms were bruises and what could only be described as burn marks.   
He snapped his head up when he heard her enter and pulled down his shirt as quickly as possible. The two of them just stared at each other, neither of them knowing whose move it was next.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It turns out the next move was dinner. After a quick stammering and Ally excusing herself to the shower, the two of them ignored the elephant in the room and headed out for supper.   
“Tell me something about you I don’t know,” Sebastian said, stuffing a French fry into his mouth.   
Ally put down her drink and thought for a moment. Memories didn’t usually come easy to her. Normally they were reactions to things she saw, music she heard, or just plain random. So when she looked at Sebastian, the first thing that came to mind was her first kiss.   
“When I was twelve, I was in love with a boy named Darcy.”  
“Not the one from the book?” Sebastian teased.   
“No, he was real, and handsome in that I-can-ride-my-bike-without-touching-the-handlebars kind of way.” Sebastian chuckled and she continued, “It took me a week to get his attention, which felt like an eternity back then. But one day, after casually leaning against the bike rack where he parked his chick magnet, he said, ‘hey’.”  
“Sounds like a heartbreaker,” Sebastian said, clearly amused by her story as he shoved another fry into his mouth.   
“Oh, he was. So everyday after school, I would hang out at the bike racks waiting for him. One day, he showed up without his friends, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He asked me to meet him in the forest at lunch the next day. So the next day I showed up in my cutest skirt and my high tops and I spent all morning watching the clock. When the lunch bell rang I was out of the school so fast. I stood waiting in the forest for him to show up.”  
“Let me guess, he never showed?” Sebastian asked.   
“No, he showed. He walked up to me and didn’t say anything and he planted one right on my lips. I was in such shock that I don’t think I even moved. He pulled back as quickly as it started and then said, ‘I don’t think I want a girlfriend. See you.’”  
Sebastian stared at her for a beat and then burst out laughing.   
“Now you have to share something with me,” Ally teased.   
Sebastian sobered fairly quickly and Ally wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have asked. She wanted to be there for him if he needed to talk, but she didn’t want to push him over it either.   
“Anything,” she assured him.  
“Well I think first kisses are on the table.” He ran his hand through his hair and Ally couldn’t help the passing thought of how handsome he was. He had perfect cheekbones and a jawline that was going to make him even more attractive as he grew older, but what she was mostly focused on was his lips. She suddenly wondered what it was like to kiss Sebastian but she shook the thought from her head. He obviously had a lot of stuff going on and he needed a friend.   
“Peggy Baker.” He paused, smiling wistfully, and Ally found it endearing. “I was sixteen, a late bloomer in the kiss department. I thought she hung the moon, she was pretty and smart and funny.” Sebastian looked at her like he wanted to say something else but thought better of it.   
“I took her to the movies and during the movie, she leaned over and kissed me. I was on cloud nine.”  
“So what happened?” Ally asked.   
“Her parents didn’t want her dating a white kid.”  
“Seriously?” Ally replied, shocked.   
Sebastian shrugged. “I never thought it was going to last. We were kids, and she was too good for me.”   
“You know what we should do tonight?”  
“What?”  
“Let’s hit the liquor store and head back to the hotel, we can toast to lost love, good friends, and going where the wind takes us.”  
Sebastian smiled. “That sounds great.”  
Several hours later the two of them lay across the hotel bed laughing and staring at the ceiling.   
“I can’t believe you stole a test key, you seem so straight laced,” Sebastian teased, his voice was a bit slurred but that was the only indication he’d been drinking all night.   
“Mr. Hallowochuck was so stupid, he was so proud of the whole class all getting a hundred percent on the test.”  
Ally laughed and then turned her head when Sebastian didn’t laugh back. He was looking at her and she felt her heart beat faster. The air in the room seemed to change and Ally felt warm. Her lips parted slightly as Sebastian rolled to his side, his eyes still intense as they gazed into hers.   
“Do you think I did the right thing, leaving her home with him?”  
It took a moment for the question to sink in and for her to realize he was speaking about his step-dad and mom.   
“Did he…?” Ally glanced down at Sebastian’s chest and she could so clearly remember the burn marks that were now hidden by his shirt.   
Sebastian nodded. “He doesn’t hit her. I don’t think he’s ever gotten physical with her. He leaves that shit for me, but what if I’m not there? What if she gets hurt because I ran away?”  
“You’re not your mom’s keeper, she is supposed to be yours. You’re an adult, Sebastian, and so is she. You can’t help someone if they don’t want to be helped, and you sure as hell don’t have to fall on the fire for someone who won’t appreciate it. You need to take care of you.”   
He ran his hand through his hair. “I guess you’re right,” he said but it looked as if he didn’t quite believe it. “I guess I just have some wires crossed in my head. Cause I worry about her still.”  
Ally nodded, not really having any personal experience to borrow from but wanting to show her support. “Of course you do, she’s your mom and you love her. I’m sure she will be fine while you take a couple months to yourself.”  
Sebastian avoided her eyes, nodded as he blinked away his tears, and let out a breath. “That was way too heavy for a drunk night. I need another drink.”   
“We are out of ice, let me go get some,” Ally offered.   
Ally grabbed the ice bucket and headed into the hall, giving Sebastian some room to recover from his thoughts. She wasn’t drunk and he wasn’t really either but the conversation had been sobering, and another drink couldn’t hurt. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but she didn’t want to pry. He had trusted her with a lot and the raw look in his eyes told her that if she pressed too much, he’d spook, and who knew when the next time he would open up to someone. He needed someone to trust, and Ally found herself wanting to be that person.   
The ice maker was down the hall, around the corner and through a door in a small room that also housed two vending machines. When she entered it, the heavy door closed hard behind her. She filled the ice bucket as she heard the ding of the elevator. Before the door even opened she could hear the rambunctious laughter coming from it. Ally opted to stay in the room as she listened to the male voices joking loudly, and lamely, in the hall. She rolled her eyes and was grateful she’d opted to not go out with the strangers. Would she have gone if she hadn’t been with Sebastian? It was hard to say, but the point was moot.   
Once the voices faded from the hallway, she stepped out of the room and headed back down the hallway. She could still hear their voices, now muffled by more distance and a door but still she found herself walking gingerly as she went down the hall.   
Just as she passed the door, it swung open. The blonde on the other side looked surprised and then smiled.   
“Pool girl!” he said, stepping outside. Ally’s eyes darted to look into the room to see if the other guys had heard him.   
“Jasmine,” she said and nodded.   
He narrowed his eyes and raised his finger and shook it at her. “Didn’t you say your name was Karen…Caroline! Sweet Caroline…dun dun dun,” he sang.   
“Did I?” Ally asked coyly.  
He frowned and then broke back out into a wide, drunken grin. “We missed you, why didn’t you come out tonight?”  
“Wasn’t feeling well,” Ally said simply.   
He looked down at her ice bucket and he held up his empty one as if this had given them some sort of sacred connection. “You’re looking better now, come party with us.”  
“Not tonight,” Ally said, standing her ground, trying to make herself look bigger than her five-foot-five frame.   
“Come on,” he slurred and he stumbled toward her as he went to shift his weight. She easily side stepped him gracefully and plastered on a fake smile.   
“Another time, you guys have fun.”  
She began to walk away but her arm was yanked back. He wasn’t sober enough to notice that he put far too much force in the action than he needed.   
“Come on, pool girl, whatever your name is, we don’t bite.”  
The sound of a door opening caused them both to look over to the sound. Sebastian was standing outside the door of their room. The blonde saw the other man and dropped her arm.   
“Another time,” he slurred and waved at Sebastian before he turned and headed toward the ice machine.   
Sebastian met Ally halfway back to the room but he thought better of taking her arm. “Do I need to kick his ass?” he asked as he walked her back and opened the door for her.   
Ally surprised him when she laughed. “I didn’t peg you as the dramatic type.”  
“That guy was totally harassing you. Who knows what he would have tried if I hadn’t come out?”  
“He was drunk,” Ally stated, “I could have fended him off. He was mostly harmless. I’ve dealt with a lot worse.”  
“You have?” Sebastian asked, shocked as he sat back down on the bed.   
“Most women have.” Ally shrugged.   
“I thought that shit just happened in the movies, and in frat houses. I mean I know there are jerks…but you ask like it happens all the time.” Sebastian looked at her like she’d just told him his puppy died.   
“Movies and books have made this kind of thing a climax. Sexual harassment isn’t a climax, it’s just another chapter. It’s bullshit that we have to get used to it, but the truth is, to a certain extent, we just do. I’m not scarred by some drunk douchebag in the hallway, it’s more exhausting than anything. To be on alert most of the time, to have to always watch what you say or do.”  
Sebastian lowered his gaze. “I guess we all have our issues to deal with.”  
Ally put her hand on his shoulder, perhaps she had more experiences to relate to Sebastian than she had realized. Nothing as severe or horrible, but she had followed that thought process down a dark path more than once when she’d been cornered at a party. She understood fear, even though she played it off.   
“Come on, let’s put our issues to bed tonight. Tomorrow we hit the road.”  
“A new chapter.”  
Ally nodded and crawled onto his bed. Without a word, they lay down together, each having an arm slung around the other and they slipped into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Ally opened her eyes in the morning, Sebastian was staring at her. They had untangled in the night but they were both lying on their sides facing each other. She couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. His dark eyes had flecks of gold in them and his lips curled up a little on the sides even when he wasn’t smiling. When she looked back up, he was looking at her lips and they both moved closer together on the bed. The air in the room seemed to change, the tension making it harder to breathe. Their lips were almost touching when Sebastian pulled back abruptly and put his hand up over his mouth.   
“I think something died in here,” he said through his fingers, chuckling nervously.   
Ally laughed. “Yeah, I’m not quite as fresh as a daisy this morning either.”   
The strain was broken as they both shared the bathroom, taking turns at the sink as they brushed their teeth. Sebastian insisted that Ally used the shower first but she couldn’t help but rush through it, part of her worried that the moment they shared might make him bolt. Her worries were unfounded and Sebastian was sitting on the bed when she emerged from the bathroom dressed. His dark hair fell over his eyes as he stared down at his phone.   
“Everything okay?” Ally asked.  
Sebastian looked up at her and smiled, making Ally feel giddy. “Yup, I’ll shower quick and then we can be on the road.” He stuffed the phone in between his clothes pile and picked them up, carrying them to the bathroom.   
Ally packed her things away, her movements quiet as she unintentionally strained to hear Sebastian in the shower. She tried to put her mind on other things, folding each item back into her suitcase with great care.   
“Stop it,” she scolded herself. “He’s had a shitty time, you don’t need to be having mental sex with him.” She looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror. He’s your friend, she reminded herself.   
She almost had herself convinced she could behave, but then a noise came from the shower. It sounded like he’d knocked a shampoo bottle over, but it was enough to draw her attention back to her thoughts of the naked body on the other side of the door. Chastising herself internally, she grabbed her purse and left the room. She couldn’t be trusted and she needed some space.   
By the time Sebastian was finished in the shower, Ally was back in the room with a bag full of food for the road.   
“I grabbed some breakfast,” Ally said, hoping the sudden nervousness she felt wasn’t coming through her voice.   
“Thanks, you’ll have to let me get lunch then.”   
Ally smiled, relieved to know he was planning on at least making it to lunch with her. She knew he’d split off eventually, but until then, she was going to enjoy this time and become even better friends.   
“So you never really said why you were going on this trip,” Sebastian said as they were leaving town.   
“That’s a loaded question,” Ally replied, although she wasn’t curt about it.   
“You don’t have to answer.”  
“It’s okay, it’s just that I’m not sure there is one answer. When I first planned the trip, before my mom died,” the word stuck in her throat but she was happy she could continue without crying, “it was just for some adventure. I wanted to just take some time and live a little before I settled down in life. Everything was moving so quickly and I thought if I could just take a couple months and be completely free…”  
“Well now I feel like an ass for tagging along,” Sebastian said, but when she looked at him, he was smiling. She smacked his leg.   
“It was also a way to say goodbye to my mom. I mean I don’t have anything planned, I’m not going to dump her ashes somewhere that she loved or anything. She was buried, but it just feels like the only real time I am going to get to process everything.”  
“Honestly, Ally, if you want to drop me off at a bus stop, I’ll be fine. I probably don’t even need a bus stop anymore, just a town where I could work for a bit.”  
She looked over and his expression was earnest. “I like having you with me,” she said softly and then looked back at the road.   
The car was quiet as Sebastian’s hand came to rest on her leg. She dropped the one hand from the steering wheel and linked her fingers with his.   
“We need to do something fun today,” Sebastian declared.   
“Is that so?” Ally couldn’t help but smile. “And what is it that Sebastian Green finds fun.”  
“Oh no, no wrecking my surprise.” He let go of Ally’s hand and she frowned but could see out of the corner of her eye that he was looking up maps on his phone.   
“What are you looking for?” she asked again, trying to get something out of him, but the game was too fun and all she got was a chuckle.  
“Okay, you’re going to take the next exit,” he said confidently.   
It was long past lunch, and then dinner, and they were still driving. Ally shifted in her seat to try to relieve some of the stiffness.   
“Are we getting close to this fun we are supposed to be having today? Cause we are running out of today,” Ally mumbled.   
Sebastian smiled but there was tiredness in his eyes as well. “Yes, take your next left,” he said and leaned forward in his seat, looking out at the road. “There.”  
The road he had requested that she turned down was almost unmarked. The sign that held the name of the road looked like it had been run into, possibly several times, and it tilted at a forty-five degree angle. Ally didn’t ask, she just followed his direction as he led her down a windy road.   
“Here,” he said and pointed to the side of the road.   
It was dark now and Ally could barely see the side of the country road.   
“Where are we and what sort of fun are we going to have in the bushes?” Ally asked bluntly before realizing her words and blushing. “Any why exactly did we have to go to bushes ten hours away?”  
“Because we are on an adventure,” Sebastian said, getting out of the car. “Come on.”  
Ally was so happy to get out and stretch, she didn’t care where they were. She walked around the front of the car to meet Sebastian on the other side.   
“It should be right through here,” he said. He took her hand and walked them off the road onto a dirt path into the woods.   
The warm night air and Sebastian’s hand in hers gave her mood a needed boost. The world was looking a little better, and as her eyes adjusted to the new moonlight, she saw exactly what he was leading her toward.  
“How did you know about this place?” she asked as they came upon a small lake. The tree line surrounded it almost completely and the reflection on the water was clear and crisp, like looking into another sky.  
“Now if Google didn’t let me down, there is only one way to truly experience this.”   
Sebastian’s bravado seemed to slip, his face full of vulnerability as he slowly pulled off his shirt. Ally had already seen the damage done to his chest but it was just as shocking to see it again. She kept her eyes passive as she watched him because beyond the sadness, there was something else inside that was very appreciative of the skin he was showing.   
He was brave, she could see him flinch as she looked at his chest, but he didn’t stop. His hands moved down to unbutton his pants, and Ally realized what he was doing.   
“Wait! You want to swim in there?”  
Sebastian chuckled. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”  
“Said every guy in a horror movie before the girl gets eaten by a swamp monster,” Ally huffed.   
“The internet said it was safe for swimming, has the internet ever lied to you?”  
Ally just glared in return but it didn’t last long because Sebastian turned his back to her and pushed down his pants and boxers, exposing his ass to her. Ally couldn’t keep her eyes off him as he waded into the water, and she could tell the water was cold by the way he hissed when he got in about half way. Funny, Ally was feeling rather warm, and the cold water was looking very appealing to her.   
Never in her life had she thought about herself as an exhibitionist. She didn’t change out in the open in locker rooms, she hated stripping down at the doctors, and yet here she was, happily stripping down in the middle of nature in front of her friend. Well, not in front of, since he hadn’t turned back around yet.   
He was giving her privacy, which she appreciated in theory, but part of her wanted him to look at her, to see if the heat she was feeling was mutual.   
“Are you coming?” he called out from the water.   
Ally moved into the water, making enough sound that she knew he’d be able to hear her. The water was cold but after all day in the warm car, it felt refreshing. Once she was in deep enough that her important naked bits were covered by water, she stopped and looked up at the sky.   
“It’s beautiful,” she said, causing Sebastian to finally turn and face her.   
“It is,” he said, but he was frowning.  
“What is it?” Ally asked.   
“There were supposed to be fireflies.”  
He sounded so forlorn that Ally began scanning the tree line, checking to see if she could spot any. The water tickled against her skin as they both quietly twisted in the water, looking for any sign of the little lights.   
“Is that one?” Ally pointed, but by the time Sebastian looked, whatever she saw was gone.   
“Well shit, I’m sorry I made you drive all day for this,” Sebastian said, defeated.   
“Don’t be, this is amazing. Fireflies or not. Look around, this place is incredible.”  
Sebastian moved closer to her and Ally’s heartbeat picked up faster. His face was lit by the moon and there was something ethereal about the way he looked. There was a seriousness on his face that was unlike what she has seen there before and it caused her to stand up fully in the water, her breasts just resting on top.   
The coolness of the water had left and it felt as warm as the night air. Sebastian’s hand tentatively slid along her side and around to her back, causing her to tilt her face up to him. It seemed to take an eternity for him to lean in, but when his lips reached Ally’s at last, she sighed into the kiss.   
Ally’s hands rested on his chest and then slid up to wrap around his neck, pressing her body to his as they kissed. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, just as fast as hers. There was something comforting to know that they were on even ground.   
“Was that okay?” he asked when the kiss ended.   
“Most definitely,” Ally responded, keeping her body pressed close to his.   
“Good, because you are my ride and we are in the middle of nowhere and that was probably the worst time to make a move ever.”  
Ally burst out in laughter. “It’s awfully good you’re so charming then. It could have gone very badly.”  
“You think I’m charming?” He beamed.   
“I think you are more than I knew you were,” Ally responded seriously. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”  
“Me too,” he responded and he kissed her again with less apprehension.  
Ally moaned softly as Sebastian’s tongue brushed over her lip and she could feel him grow hard against her stomach. He tried to give her some space by pulling his hips back but Ally just tightened her arms around his neck. The kiss grew heated and Sebastian’s hands began to wander. His hand drove Ally crazy as it travelled up her side and brushed along the side of her breast.   
Sebastian’s hair was soft as she plunged her fingers through it as they kissed. Her body was pulsing for more and she could feel his desire brush against her skin in the water. It felt like his hands were everywhere, cupping her breasts and brushing her ass, when she realized that he was touching her in more places than he had hands.   
Ally jumped back in the water with a scream.  
“What? I’m sorry, what did I do?” Sebastian stammered, looking panicked.   
“Something touched me, in the water.” Ally felt the thing slide against her ass again and she jumped, running as fast as she could for the shore.   
“Wait up,” Sebastian ran after her, not sure he wanted to be in the water anymore either.   
Ally grabbed her tank top and threw it on, it was long enough to cover most of her and she appreciated the modesty. The boldness she felt seemed to have been left in the water.   
Sebastian, however, was feeling daring and after he pulled on his boxers, he came over to Ally and pulled her back into his arms.   
Ally felt the flutter in her chest as they kissed and she wondered if she’d felt this way about anyone before. Already his lips were going to be a problem, Ally could feel herself becoming addicted to them and they’d only had a few kisses.   
“We should probably get back on the road,” Sebastian said, breaking the kiss.   
“We should?” Ally asked, dazed.   
He kissed her forehead. “We are over an hour from any town and maybe longer until we can find a place to crash for the night.”  
It was hard to pull herself away from him, but she knew he was right. And there was no reason to rush anything because this trip was now theirs.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

The radio played slow song after slow song as the night wore on. The late night host talked in dulcet tones, luring their late night audience into a relaxed state, but Ally was not quieted at all. It had been two hours since they left their hidden spot and the car had been mostly quiet. After the moment had dissipated, a sort of awkwardness fell over them both. Ally had no regrets but she also didn’t know where to go from here.   
“There is a motel about thirty minutes up the road,” Sebastian said. “Might be a good place to stop, it’s getting late.”  
“I’m feeling wired,” Ally responded. “Do you mind if I keep driving? You can sleep if you want.”  
“Naw, if you’re good, I’m good.”  
Ally glanced over and returned the smile Sebastian was already giving her. She really was awake, but there was also nervousness about finding a spot for the night.   
“You’re not worried about getting a room with me tonight are you?” Sebastian asked, as if reading her mind. “I’m not after anything more than you’re willing to give, Ally.”  
Ally glanced over at him. “It’s not that. It’s just, we’re friends. And then we kissed. So are we friends with benefits? Or…”  
“I’m hoping for more,” Sebastian replied. “I’m kind of at your mercy here, so please don’t dump me on the side of the road, but I’ve had a thing for you for a long time.”  
“You have not!” Ally said, shocked. Sebastian shrugged. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”  
“A couple reasons, you didn’t really seem to have any interest in me that way.”   
Ally couldn’t argue, she hadn’t really thought of Sebastian that way until this trip, but now she was wondering why she hadn’t. There was so much about him that seemed worthy of at least a crush.   
“The other reason was I didn’t really want to let anyone in. There is so much going on in my life, it didn’t really seem fair to try and drag you into it.”  
“I would have listened, even just as a friend. You could have come to me,” Ally said softly.   
“Would you listen now?”  
“Of course,” Ally replied, her hands gripping tighter at the wheel.  
Sebastian was looking down at his lap, picking at some loose skin beside his fingernail. He looked utterly focused on his task but Ally could feel the tension in him, he was building up the courage to talk. He had asked her to listen, but that didn’t mean it was going to be easy for him to share. She didn’t rush him, she kept her eyes on the road as he took whatever time he needed to collect his thoughts.   
“Probably best to start at the beginning. The first time was when I was sixteen. Vince and my mom had just gotten engaged a week earlier. He was always a dick but he’d never gotten physical, and to be honest, I probably deserved that first one.”  
Ally bristled in her seat, wanting to argue with him, that no one deserved what he’d been through, but she also didn’t want to interrupt him.   
“I was a bratty kid, always breaking curfew. I strolled in for the third time that week an hour late. Vince and mom were in the living room watching TV and I heard my mom sigh when I walked in, that disapproving sigh only a parent could give. I walked right by them and headed to my room, but on my way I heard Vince tell my mom, ‘he had it’.”  
He got quiet again and when Ally glanced over at him his eyes were glazed, lost in the memory for a moment.   
“I was in my bedroom and he walked in and slapped the back of my head. It wasn’t much but it pissed me off. He told me that I needed to respect the house rules. I made some smart ass remark and he punched me in the gut so hard I hit the floor. He turned without another word and left me wheezing on the ground.”  
“Shit. Did you tell your mom?” Ally asked, wondering how she could have married a man that could do such horrible things to her son.   
“Yeah.” He laughed without humor. “She said I was being dramatic. He had told her that he smacked my head but he denied punching me. It slowly got worse over time. My infractions became plentiful. When I started obeying curfew to avoid being hit, he’d find something else; leaving a dish in the sink, not hanging up my jacket...”  
“And your mom still did nothing?” she asked.   
“She was too blinded by love or whatever. Not that he was that great to her, but he provided and she became complacent.”  
Ally glanced over at Sebastian; he looked so young, she could see that scared sixteen year old boy in him. It made her furious. The betrayal of his mother had to be worse than the physical abuse from his step-father. She reached across the console and placed her hand over his and he readily accepted the contact, linking their fingers together.   
“The first burn was on the night of their wedding. I got drunk, the kind of drunk you don’t often remember what happened the next day. I don’t know what happened at the wedding, it’s very fuzzy to me still but a buffet table was knocked over and the blame landed on me. Vince followed me out of the reception hall and trailed me the thirteen blocks home on foot. Again, I was in my room, I had just taken off my shirt when I heard him come in. I turned to face him and he didn’t say anything. He just took the cigarette in his hand and pressed the tip into my shoulder.”  
Sebastian pulled his hand from Ally’s and reached up to touch the front of his shoulder. Ally could see the reflection of him in the windshield and her eyes began to sting. She blinked a few times to clear them.   
“He went back to the party and by the time they had both come back from the wedding reception, I was passed out. I woke up in the morning to my mom yelling at me for being so careless. Vince had told her that I must have fallen asleep smoking, it didn’t matter that I’d never smoked a day in my life. I was too hungover to defend myself. Part of me wondered if I did do it myself, until the next time it happened. But after that day I took notes. Every time he hit me, every time he burned me, Hell, every time he called me a useless fuck, I logged it in a book.  
“I showed it to my mom a week ago.” His hand moved back to Ally’s on his leg.   
“That’s good, what did she say?”  
“She said I was lying. So I showed her everything, the log, the scars. She looked so scared, asking why I was doing this, why I was trying to destroy her happiness. I thought about killing myself that night, but then he’d win. He doesn’t deserve to win.”  
Ally let his words sink in, staying quiet for a moment. “You’re not going home, are you?”  
“I sent the book, some pictures and some videos I had taken in secret and sent it to the police anonymously. I’m hoping it’s enough to charge him, but I’m not about to sit around and wait for him to come kill me while the police investigate. I’d hoped if I could get out of town with you, it might be harder for them to find me. Starting my bus journey a few cities or states away would keep me safer. I didn’t really have anything to go back for anyway. A new start is okay. I’m educated at least, it’s not like I can’t start a decent life on my own.”  
Ally didn’t realize she was crying until she realized she couldn’t see the road.  
“I’m sorry,” she said, grabbing a tissue and wiping them away. “I hate when people cry for me.”  
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “Did you want to pull over for a bit? I can drive if you want.”  
Ally nodded and directed the car to the shoulder. She put it into park and shut off the engine and then she climbed over and straddled Sebastian’s lap and hugged him the best she could.   
“Thank you for listening,” Sebastian said, holding her tight.  
Eventually, Ally moved so Sebastian could get into the driver’s seat. Once they were back on the road, Ally closed her eyes, rolling over everything he’d told her. It wasn’t until she opened her eyes again that she realized it was morning and she’d slept.  
“Did we drive all night?” she asked.   
“Yeah, I found a place up here. We could get some rest.”  
The motel was old, but clean enough to be comfortable staying in for a little while. As the sun climbed high in the sky, Ally and Sebastian held each other close in the double bed.   
“What were you hoping to find on this trip? I feel like it’s been all about me,” Sebastian said.   
“I don’t know. Peace, I guess. I think I just needed some time to heal without the pressure of everyone trying to help me through it.”  
“You know, you can still drop me at a bus stop anywhere you like,” Sebastian said smiling.   
“No. I’m going to keep you,” Ally said yawning. Sebastian kissed her forehead and they stayed intertwined as they slipped into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

2.5 Months later

Ally nuzzled against Sebastian’s naked chest as she began to wake up; it had become her morning ritual, which was usually followed by kisses and touching and then sex.   
The cuddle was cut short when Sebastian’s phone beeped, he made a groaning sound as he reached a hand over to retrieve it from the nightstand. He pressed the voicemail button and Ally felt herself holding her breath so she could hear the message as well.   
“Mr. Rhodes, this is Detective Antar, we are hoping you have reconsidered our offer. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience at…”  
As the detective listed off his phone number, Ally lifted her head so she could see Sebastian’s expression better. His face was mostly blank and she had no idea what he was feeling. He hit end on the phone call and put it back on the nightstand.   
“What are you going to do?” Ally asked.   
“I don’t know. They want me to come and testify. It’s the best way to get the charges to stick.”  
“I’ll support you in whatever you want to do.” She paused for a moment. “But I do need to start heading back tomorrow.”  
The words hung in the air. Ally knew that Sebastian was as crazy about her as she was about him, but that didn’t mean they were solid enough for him to go back if he didn’t really want to.   
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here with me instead?” Sebastian replied, half teasing.   
“I want to give us a chance, but we can’t exist outside of the real world, I have friends and family back there,” Ally explained, the mood half sombre.   
“I know,” he replied but there was no promise in his words. Wherever he was at in his head, he wasn’t ready to commit to anything. “I’m going to take a shower and then we should do something. If it’s our last day then we should have some fun.”  
Ally didn’t know if he meant it was their last day there, or ever, the latter put a heavy feeling in her chest. She kept quiet as Sebastian got up and went into the shower. Part of her wanted to join him, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to hold herself together enough to be vulnerable with him.   
She picked up some of her things around the room and started to put them into her suitcase. They had been travelling every few days still, so it wasn’t that her stuff was everywhere, but it was soothing to fold and pack her things neatly away. It hadn’t taken her long to fall for Sebastian, he was funny and smart and caring and very handsome, but the connection felt even deeper for her than all those things. The thought of losing him felt like too much. She had a brief thought of calling her mom to talk through it and then that loss gutted her a second time.   
She sat on the bed as the tears pricked her eyes but a buzz from Sebastian’s phone pulled her from her grief and she focused on that. She looked over and saw a message from ‘Mom’.   
I’m sorry baby. Plz call me.  
Sebastian had been getting messages from his mother over those few weeks. The first were accusing him of lying, of ruining her life, and then they got more desperate. She didn’t want Sebastian to testify and she was trying every trick in the book to appeal to him. Ally rolled her eyes but the annoyance was welcome as it replaced her earlier feelings.   
She was fixing her hair, already dressed, when Sebastian came out of the shower. He smiled, looking refreshed, and he kissed her.   
“I want to go to the carnival.”  
~~  
The narrow walkways through the games of the carnivals were exactly as any other carnival. There seemed to be a layer of grime on everything that added to their charm. Large stuffed toys hung from the ceiling of each individual tent, and a band of green aliens were swaying softly in the breeze above a ring toss.   
The carnival workers shouted words like darling, sugar, and sweetheart, attempting to lure women of all ages in to try their luck at the games. The men were being shouted as well, their masculinity questioned if they couldn’t win the perfect prize for their lady friends. It was a tired shtick but Ally was enjoying every minute.   
Sebastian’s hand was wrapped around hers and he laughed and shook his head as another man tried to get him to shoot some hoops in order to win Ally a giant Scooby Doo.   
They ate corn dogs and cotton candy and then rode the rides until they felt like they would throw up. Neither of them mentioned their impending separation. Even when he pulled her close in the house of mirrors and kissed her, and Ally wanted to beg him to come home with her, she said nothing, unwilling to break the spell of the perfect day.  
When the sun went down and they rode the Ferris wheel, seeing nothing but the carnival lights, Ally felt as if her heart would burst. The pressure had been building in her chest all day and yet still she dared not let it out.   
“Ally,” Sebastian whispered.   
She shook her head. “Not yet,” she answered simply and he nodded as they finished the ride in silence.   
Back at the hotel, they made love frantically. Their bodies saying everything they were afraid to utter. When they finished, Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ally, and too drained to cry, she fell to sleep quickly.  
When Ally awoke the next morning, Sebastian was sitting dressed already on the chair at the end of the bed. His body was hunched over and his hands were in his hair.   
Ally immediately felt queasy and she sat up.   
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I get it.”  
“I’m coming.”  
Ally blinked, wondering if she was still sleeping. “What?”  
“You’re right, I can’t run from this. Well I can, but that’s no way to live.”  
“Are you sure?” Ally asked, because by the anxiety in his face, he didn’t look sure.  
“No, but you’ll be there with me right?”   
Ally crawled out over the covers and down off the end of the bed. She straddled Sebastian and wrapped her arms around him.   
“Always.”

~~  
The two of them sat quietly in the car, it was a lot like the trip had started, but this time, their hands were joined between them. Sebastian was tense, he didn’t want to go confront Vince, but he also knew that he would be taking back his power by doing so. Ally had promised him that no matter what happened between them, she would be there for him until the end.   
“Tell me something else about your mom,” Sebastian said, wanting the distraction.   
“She would have loved you,” Ally started and Sebastian smiled.   
“You think?”  
“I know.”  
She squeezed his hand and began to tell him another story of her mother. It was a bit easier to talk about her now. It didn’t always hurt so much. It made her smile to think of her mostly.   
She looked over to Sebastian and she knew that her life had changed again, but this one was a welcome one.   
\-   
The End


End file.
